The Unscrupulous Techies

I was watching a TV show the other day where a very disgruntled woman was complaining about exploitative techies. The woman was referring to a common experience in the modern world where demand for technology outstrips supply creating an opportunity for techno savvy individuals to exploit the rest of the less ‘enlightened’ populace. In other words, we, the majority, have become victims of anarchy at the hands of merciless techies.

The techies are the few people who have acquired the skills to offer technological solutions such as web design, point of sale (POS) systems and other tools and they really take advantage of the rest of us when we seek their services in their line of work.

As the woman berated unethical technology developers, I was reminded of a similar experience which occurred to me and my colleagues several years ago, when we decided to get a web store where we could sell our products due to a surge in online consumer demand.

The belt maker

I am in the business of making customized belts for both male and female clients. The belt business has been in our family for a long time, it is sort of hereditary. Our father grew up in my grandfather’s belt company and me and my siblings faced the same fate. Our clients span the whole field, individual consumers, retailers and even wholesalers from all over the world. Recently, my father retired and I was left in charge of the family business.

As expected, the old folks did not introduce much technology in the business although they had little need to. However, now that the world has become a global digitized village, the era dictates that at least a business should have an e-commerce site. In this light, I decided to launch a web shop where customers could view, order, and purchase and even pay for the belts electronically without hassling their way into our store.

Exploitation and greed

Armed with this resolution, I visited the person who had created our company’s website and shared my problems. This was when I witnessed real anarchy as described by the woman I watched in that TV show. The tech savvy guy knew that I knew close to nothing on technology matters. He had already ripped us off when creating the website, a task that had also taken too long.

After scribbling some things on a notepad, he suggested an obscene amount of money in charges. He even had the audacity to suggest that he would earn royalties from sales on the web shop because he would be the administrator.

After I left the office, I decided to consult with my bank regarding this problem to seek suggestions on how it could be solved. After explaining my technological needs to one of the assistant managers in the bank, a good friend, he immediately referred me to their e-commerce subsidiary; a leading credit card processing company and business solutions provider.

The amazing web shop

The company created a miraculous web shop for our company, albeit at a significant cost. However, my main relief was the quality of work that the company did. In addition to charging less than my previous choice, the company created a web shop that enabled customers to shop and pay electronically in a very secure and convenient way. Additionally, the web shop was installable on a mobile phone and it also supported online electronic check processing.

This feature supports remote check deposits from any location, while requiring only an office scanner or a smartphone. The new remote check deposit capture feature has attracted new customers to my business. The whole creation has helped to move transactions quickly, conveniently, and securely. As I usually remark to my family, the unscrupulous techie was blessing in disguise; he helped discover unprecedented technological solutions for our business.